Help Around the Home: April

No doubt you're ready to give your home a thorough spring cleaning. Get your house and yard in tip-top shape with just one chore a day.

Early spring, just before active growth starts, is ideal for many pruning tasks. Remove dead, damaged and diseased wood from any tree or shrub and all suckers at the base. Garden cleanup can continue, as long as the soil is not too soggy.

Remove main stains on the surface of grout with sandpaper. To do this, fold the sandpaper into a crease, and work it back and forth along the grout line. If sandpaper doesn't work, you may have better results with a pencil eraser.

Use vacuum attachments or the floor nozzle on the walls, furniture and baseboards. Empty the canister or bag for maximum effectiveness. Then throw everything — plastic toys, shower caddies, even sturdy knick-knacks — into the dishwasher for a once-a-year cleaning.

Wash your windows and screens. For a quick fix when you run out of store-bought window cleaner, mix two tablespoons of white vinegar with two quarts of water. Dip a clean rag in the solution and wipe down the windows. Wipe them dry with wadded up newspaper. Brush screens to remove dust and debris.